Let’s get this out of the way. The Yankees did not place a lot of emphasis on winning this game today. Joe Girardi clearly stated he wanted to rest his players with the schedule ahead and used the scrubbiest of scrubs out of the bullpen in relief. Down 3-0 with 2 outs in the 8th, team laughing stock Ramiro Pena was up with a man on first. Instead of pinch hitting for him with a regular off the bench, Girardi left him up there and he promptly struck out. From the very beginning it was a clear, rest the regulars, type of game.
Which is totally OK. With 14 games coming up in the next 13 days and a little cushion in the AL East lead, it totally made sense. It was a day game, against the Blue Jays followed by another day game tomorrow at home against the Twins. Resting your regulars makes sense when you’re about to play 7 against the surging Rays and 3 against the Red Sox. Both of those teams will be desperate for wins with the wild card race tightening. Would it have been nice to put another game between the Red Sox and Yankees? Yes, of course. Could that potentially come back to bite them in the ass? Sure, it’s possible. Wouldn’t you prefer the Yankees to have everyone rested and ready for this tough closing stretch rather than trot out the A lineup for one more game against the 76-75 Blue Jays? There is a huge difference between not trying and resting your players down the stretch. This game clearly fits into the latter category.
All that being said, this game was still very close. The Yankees wound up losing 3-0 to Brandon Morrow who has pitched very well against the Yankees this season (entering today, 12.2 IP, 14 Ks, 2.25 ERA). He was fantastic today again, going 8 innings with 1 walk, 0 runs, 8 strikeouts and only 4 hits allowed. On the other side of the ledger, Freddy Garcia was less than stellar today. His final line was 4.2 innings, 5 hits, 3 earned runs, 3 walks and 4 strikeouts. As Jack Curry has noted, Garcia in his last 12.1 innings has allowed 15 earned runs and 6 homers, which is not exactly inspiring entering the post season. AJ Burnett has actually been leaps and bounds better than Garcia this month.
Aside from the starting pitching, this game was pretty boring. Adam Lind accounted for 2 of the Blue Jays runs with solo shots in the 2nd and 4th inning. The Yankees only had 2 runners in scoring position all game, obviously neither of which wound up scoring. Eduardo Nunez accounted for 3 of the Yankees 5 hits and some base running laughs along the way. Raul Valdez came on and for once, we experienced a lefty actually getting lefty hitters out. It was all very interesting. He should continue to get some looks against lefties as Boone Logan has really been in a funk lately. I think I fell asleep and spilt coffee down my pants somewhere between the top of the 5th and bottom of the 7th. I’m not really sure.
I can understand that some of you may have been frustrated with this game. It’s frustrating to watch a close game with your best players on the bench. That makes sense. I just wanted to impart my opinion about the need to remain focused on the larger picture. Tomorrow, the Yankees face the Twins in a makeup game at 1pm, with AJ Burnett on the mound. Without Mauer or Morneau in the lineup, the Twins are even more compromised than usual. See you for the final home stand of the year tomorrow.
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17 Responses to Morrow Blanks Yankees, 3-0
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I am a big critic of the “lose the battle to win the war” mentality. Unless players are fatigued to the point of risking injury, I fail to see how rest on 9/18 will impact performance on 9/30. However, if the Yankees pile up wins now, they can give their players meaningful rest closer to the end of the season. Because of the way the schedule breaks down, it’s very possible that the Yankees’ will have to play all out this week, but that could have been avoided with as few as two more wins over the last two weeks.
Also, giving tired players a rest is one thing, but (for the second time in two weeks), severely depleting the lineup goes beyond that. What’s more, not even pinch hitting raises the “lose the battle” mentality to an absurd level of stubbornness (especially when you consider the convoluted reason Girardi gave for letting Pena hit).
Finally, and this is a purely subjective point, but I think there is something to be said for the impact of letting the guard down. With all the mental mistakes over the past 10 games, I can’t help but wonder if the more laid back approach hasn’t contributed to sloppy play. Will that continue in October? I hope not, but if I were running a team, I would never give the impression that a game “doesn’t count” until they don’t count.
I definitely can see the point about wanting to stretch the lead, especially given the schedule coming up. I don’t think this is losing the battle though. I’d rather have everyone rested and play Tampa and Boston at full strength than have rest anyone during that stretch. The lineup wasn’t even THAT depleted: Granderson, Jeter and Tex isn’t fully draining the lineup in my eyes. Granderson and Jeter don’t even hit Morrow well anyhow. I don’t really see it as a huge deal.
You can never really tell with this stuff though, so who knows? We’ll find out in the next week or so.
I like the idea of resting guys now, and playing hard for at least the last week. If we have to fight for home field advantage, so be it, but the important thing, considering the flatness of the team last year in the playoffs, is to gear it up at the end.
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This isn’t extended spring training, Sean P.
A 4.5 game head could quickly evaporate into 1.5 if the Yanks lose enough games before Friday and if that happened all Boston would have to do is take 2 of 3 to cut it to a half-game lead. If Boston did that, the Yanks suddenly have to actually play – and Girardi has to actually manage – against the Rays in the final series of the season to avoid facing Justin Verlander in Game 1 and possibly Game 5 of the ALDS. Unlikely, but I’d say more likely than Boston’s September collapse considering this Yankee team likes to hit like shit out of nowhere.
Ramiro Pena and Eduardo Nunez have to go. Neither has a future as an everyday player for the Yankees or can play defense competently enough to be backup infielders, besides being too young to be backups. The Yanks should trade both and sign a veteran backup 2B/3B/SS in the offseason. I’d say sign Omar Vizquel but he probably wants to still go for 3000 hits I don’t think he’s reaching unless some team out there makes him everyday SS job he’ll have to take the rock bottom salary for a veteran to get and he can collect 100 hits as such and even then he’s still at 29XX hits through next year.
Another game where the pitching gave up three or fewer runs wasted. The 2011 Yanks must have the most losses by any team in MLB in games where they give up three or fewer runs.
First of all, Omar Vizquel is a fucking terrible baseball player. He’s hitting .245/.282/.294 and has been an old, arthritic sack of garbage on defense this year. He’s going to continue to just get worse. He’s about a bad a choice as you could have come up with right there.
You’re right though, Nunez and Pena will never be good enough to play every day most likely. Pena CAN field, but absolutely cannot hit a lick and Nunez can hit some, but barely can field. They’re still young though and improvement for them does not take a leap of the imagination. They’re more than capable of becoming competent bench players.
If you need to doom and gloom yourself into a lather and get all worked up, typing furiously away about Girardi and his baby murdering tendencies or the vagaries of the best offense in baseball, knock yourself out. We’ll all have a good laugh about it and enjoy ourselves.
Here’s what the reality is though. The team is in good shape entering the last week of the season which given how it’s been with the SP staff, is about as much as we could ask for. I get it man, it was a frustrating game but try and chill out a bit.
Finally, as for your last asinine assertion, the Yankees have the 6th best record in baseball when allowing 3 runs or less in 2011. http://www.baseball-reference.com/games/situational.cgi?from=2011&to=2011&0=2&rsgtlt=lt&rs=5&1=5&ragtlt=lt&ra=3&2=6&trgtlt=gt&tr=10&3=8&mvgtlt=gt&mv=10&4=10&owlsgtlt=gt&owls=.500&sortby=WP&teams=team&years=each&submit=Run+Situation
Omar Vizquel is not a “terrible fucking baseball player” or he wouldn’t have been re-signed by a pretty fucking good g.m. and kept for two full seasons at the ages he’s at. He wasn’t released by the White Sox was he? If Jeter was out for the entire ALDS, and it came down to Vizquel, Nunez, or Pena taking his place, I would take Vizquel over Nunez or Pena in a heartbeat and anyone with a brain would, too. It’s called 2800+ hits and 11 Gold Gloves and still being productive as a bench player. His slashlines are actually pretty decent for one. He could make a dozen starts at 2B, a dozen at 3B, and a dozen at SS fo the Yanks next year and it wouldn’t kill the Yanks, so just stop with your he’s terrible nonsense. Yeah he’s so terrible he got 100+ PA at age 44 for a not too bad team who had a decent run for awhile before they tanked, and will make it through yet another year without being released.
Pena cannot field he cost the Yankees a game with his defense therefore he cannot field because you don’t cost teams a game with your defense when you’re a backup infielder who barely plays. Where’d you get that Nunez can hit three hits yesterday notwithstanding? He has no power and doesn’t hit for average or get on base. His fielding is so terrible – 18 errors this year last count – it negates his bat. Pena and Nunez are worth more as cheap starting shortstops or candidates to be that on small market NL teams (so they don’t come back to haunt the Yanks save maybe in interleague play) than as bench players.
I’m not dooming and glooming myself or working myself up into a lather, asshole (which you are totally coming off like in your reply), I am merely saying the lackadaiscal “give up a game” mentality Girardi espoused yesterday is exactly why the 2010 Yankees got lucky with the Angels and had their asses handed to them by the Rangers last postseason, but you keep playing devil’s advocate. They let up, got soft to wind down the season and it carried over into the postseason. You don’t let up with 11 games to play 7 vs. the Rays, 3 vs. the Red Sox, and one vs. the Twins where Burnett is starting, and that doesn’t mean you have to spend yourself either.
The Twins could easily beat the Yanks tomorrow even without Mauer and Morneau with Burnett on the mound for the Yanks and the Rays could easily take 3 of 4 from the Yanks for the possibiity of being only a half-game or game up on Boston going into the Yanks-Red Sox series next weekend. I hope it doesn’t happen – I don’t think it will – but it could.
Sixth best record giving up 3 runs or less.ok, learn to read dickwad. I said they must have the most losses giving up 3 runs or less, but I guess I’m wrong. I know they’ve pissed away enough games that they’d have at least a 7.5-8.5 game lead right now thus not be in realistic danger of even a final Boston surge.
I said this isn’t extended spring training and it isn’t, it’s September 19 and the Yanks should play hard every game from hereonin, and no, that’s not them running themselves into the ground. that’s called playing like a true championship contending team should. The 2000 Yankees had a bad September but played hard. Torre never took his foot off the pedal, Girardi should try putting his foot on it.
Thanks for being a total asshole. Ban me if you don’t like it, I could care less at this point.
You want to throw a stat at me huh? Ok.
Four teams who are division leaders, winners, or contenders or wildcard contenders have better winnings percentages than the Yankees.
Three have more wins and three have more games where they’ve given up three runs or less.
Two have one more loss.
One has one less win.
Only the Angels have less wins and games and a worse winning percentage.
Therefore, the Yanks are pretty middle of the pack among these teams, but guess what? That’s not good enough when you will draw teams who will give up three or fewer runs more than they will allow more than three runs in the postseason.
Burnett posting 7 IP 1 H 1 ER and losing to the Royals. Colon giving up only 2 runs and losing to the Os. Garcia pitching 2-run ball vs. the Mets and losing. Yesterday (only 3-0 where Garcia was bad but did ok outside of Adam Lind haha.) There. Four games the Yanks should’ve won if their offense showed up.
I wasn’t getting on the pitching, I was getting on the offense. I could care less about record and winning percentage. 13 losses should’ve been 9 for an 8.5 game lead.
The Yanks are lucky Boston started 2-10 and has swooned in September, lucky they got what they got from Nova, Garcia, and Colon, lucky they’re not facing Verlander in Game 1 and possibly Game 5 of the ALDS. But they better step it up with the bats come postseason time or they’re toast in the ALDS or ALCS cuz they are most likely facing Detroit, Boston, or possibly Tampa Bay in the ALCS then Philly in the World Series (I would be shocked if the Phillies didn’t reach the WS.)
Just to show what a moron you are:
2011 Omar Vizquel
40 for 163 (.245 BA vs. Nunez’s .254), .282 OBP (vs.Nunez’s .301), .294 SLG, 6 doubles, a triple, no homeruns, 8 RBI, 1 for 3 in SBA, 9 BB
Only 17 SO in 178 PA. That’s a strikeout every 10.47 PA. If he didn’t strike out in 9 more PA, he’d have a SO rate of a SO every 11 PA.
That is a nice year for a 44+ year old bench player or any bench player.
Nunez has better SLG than Vizquel on his stolen bases and 4 HR which were flukes because he has no power.
Would the Yanks be in trouble if Cano, Jeter, or Rodriguez fell to injury long-term? Maybe, but that’s what trades are for. And who says the Yanks couldn’t sign someone for AAA they could call up if needed? I never said Vizquel should be the only option i.e. you sign him and that’s it for getting utility infielders.
Oh yeah, if Vizquel reaches 2900 hits, he’s a Hall Of Famer because
1. Of the active and retired players with 2771 or more career hits (A-Rod is last among active hitters with 2771 career hits) but less than 3000 hits, only five (5) players besides Vizquel are not in the Hall Of Fame:
A-Rod (active, will most likely be inducted into the HOF)
I-Rod (ditto)
Griffey Jr. (just began his retirement, will most likely be inducted into the HOF)
Bonds (most likely won’t be inducted even thought I think he should because he won 3 NLMVP awards wayyyyy before his name was tied to steroids and how did the writers who vote for the MVP vote him NLMVP four straight years without a peep among them about steroids?)
Baines (nice consistent run producer but never really stood out among his contemporaries and DHd a sizeable chunk of his career; his case might be helped since his name was never tied to steroids; he might be ineligible for the HOF now though)
So we’re talking only THREE players since Baines donned an MLB uniform with at least 2771 hits but less than 3000 hits who will most likely be inducted into the HOF, but really two because A-Rod should collect his 3000th hit sometime in 2013 barring injury (Baines, Bonds, and Griffey Jr. finished with less than 3000 hits and I don’t see I-Rod reaching 3000 unless he has some rebirth-type 2012 where he can be in position to collect 3000 by year’s end or early 2013.) Vizquel might finish with more hits than I-Rod but probably not.
I don’t include Jeter, Biggio, and Palmiero because they’re in the 3000 hit club. I don’t think Palmiero gets in because of his ties to steroids use.
2. Who’s a potential future HOF player outside of A-Rod, I-Rod, Biggio, and Griffey Jr. among today’s AL players besides Joe Mauer and Ichiro Suzuki? If these two aren’t HOFs who is? Cano isn’t there yet although I think he should be in the discussions if he turns out two more solid seasons before his current contract is up (nine straight mostly solid years.) Who’s around today you think could get to the 2839 hits Vizquel has?
3. 11 Gold Gloves. I would say that makes up for whatever amount of hits Vizquel falls short of 3000 by.alone.
4. The starting SS on two AL pennant-winning Cleveland teams. He helped his team go to the WS, Griffey Jr. and Baines didn’t. Baines won a WS as a coach (2005 White Sox) not as a player. Vizquel appeared in more WS than I-Rod, A-Rod, and Bonds, unless I-Rod made it with the 2006 Tigers??? I-Rod lucked out with the 2003 Marlins and I should hope A-Rod would win at least one WS with the Yanks for his talent and salary moreover the team behind him.
5. Look at this guy. No power whereas Baines, Bonds, Griffey Jr, I-Rod, and A-Rod all had power to varying degrees. Wasn’t an RBI guy like them or much of a stolen base guy. Didn’t hit for average or get on base much. Limited talent with the bat, and yet he managed to collect all those hits. If he finishes with 2900 hits that’s only 35 less than Bonds and he did it with zero suspicion of steroids to his name. Around forever? So what? It’s not his fault he keeps getting signed and why not play well into your forties if you are still considered viable and you want to keep playing? He’s the quintessenial “Little Engine That Could.”
6. Zero suspicion of being a steroids user.
7. His star is brighter than Bonds who is more infamous than famous, he’s more famous than Baines, he’s equal to I-Rod in fame, and only Griffey Jr.and A-Rod are more famous than him as far as Baines on players with 2771 hits but less than 3000 and not in the HOF go. If you want to say I-Rod is more famous, fine.
If Vizquel retired after this season, I’d induct him into the HOF in 2016.
Btw Al Oliver should be in the HOF, too. Al gets no love (.303 career hitter, 2743 hits.)
LOL, you’re legitimately psychotic. Here’s my favorite part which I’m submitting on your application to Bellevue’s prestigious psychiatric hospital: “he wouldn’t have been re-signed by a pretty fucking good g.m. and kept for two full seasons at the ages he’s at. He wasn’t released by the White Sox was he? If Jeter was out for the entire ALDS, and it came down to Vizquel, Nunez, or Pena taking his place, I would take Vizquel over Nunez or Pena in a heartbeat and anyone with a brain would, too.”
!!!!!!!
Maybe Vizquel will invite you to his election ceremony. Despite your rambling though, he’s literally been awful this year. Awful.
hugh game today.twins quit, if the yanks don’t show up today..first round and out..
Not so sure we can levy any comment against Garcia when his manager is barely running half your team out there to back you up. How can he be asked to be the only one busting it?
true
Looks like Morrow is the winner of this year’s annual “Blue Jay that completely shuts the Yankees down” Award. As you’ll recall, last year’s winner was Brett Cecil (2.67 ERA in 33.2 innings); while Roy Halladay was the recipient during every season he wore a Toronto uniform.
His 1.74 ERA over 20.3 innings is the third-lowest among all pitchers who have made at least two starts against the Yankees in 2011.
Maybe we can call it the AJ Burnett award?
true again